1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an examination apparatus configured to display an enlarged or reduced image of a specimen and, more specifically, relates to an examination apparatus having a sealed box-shaped enclosure containing a space for disposing a specimen and an examination optical system.
This application is based on Japanese Patent Application No. 2005-294057, the content of which is incorporated herein by reference.
2. Description of Related Art
For an examination apparatus having a box-shaped enclosure accommodating a specimen and various essential components, such as an optical unit including objective lenses and a camera for capturing an observation image, an access door provided on a part of the box-shaped enclosure is opened and a specimen is manually disposed on a stage inside the box-shaped enclosure when the specimen is to be changed or when a new specimen is to be disposed.
In addition, a microscope apparatus allowing specimens to be changed easily has been proposed.
For example, the microscope apparatus disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2004-21006 has a specimen tray that automatically moves outside the apparatus by a one-touch operation. After a specimen is placed on the tray, the tray can be returned inside the apparatus by a one-touch operation. Therefore, the user can continue their examination without being disturbed by the process of changing the specimen.
However, the microscope apparatus disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2004-21006 is provided essentially for small specimens, such as prepared slides. When the concept of this invention is applied to an examination apparatus used for examining small animals, such as mice, the size of the tray has to be increased. Moreover, the size of the apparatus is increased because the XYZ driving range of the stage is increased. When the stage is driven, the tray is moved outside the apparatus from a slit provided in the box-shaped enclosure. Since the location of the slit cannot be changed, depending on the orientation of the microscope apparatus, the tray may project from the slit in a position that makes it difficult for the user to operate the apparatus. When a live specimen is to be examined, the user must check whether or not the condition of the specimen has changed during examination. However, for an apparatus that has a cover over the slit from which the tray is projected, the condition inside the apparatus cannot be observed during examination.